Jim receives the lease from Councillor Neil Ritchie on September 12th 2009

Jim Grogan – 1941 to 2011 – His vision, energy and love of Tarvin created this woodland as a living legacy for the Tarvin Community. “A civilisation flourishes when people plant trees under which they will never sit.”Greek Proverb

Jim Grogan

Jim, the visionary whose driving passion was this woodland, passed away in January 2011. His dream was that this piece of land should not be built on, but should be saved for the community to enjoy forever. He was successful because the woodland has been nationally recognised as an excellent example of what can be achieved through community action. He lived to see the woodland brought back under management. It is now kept safe and tidy, with secure boundaries, disabled access, better-maintained paths, and an active team of trustees to manage it into the future.

Jim was immensely proud of what has been achieved and gained great pleasure from knowing how much people who use the woodland enjoy it, appreciate it, and help care for it. His death was a great and tragic loss to his family, to all who knew him, to the village, and to the wider community.

Stuart Exell

Stuart was our Chair of Trustees from 2011 and sadly passed away in October 2021. He was instrumental in guiding the Trust through many of its most significant milestones. He led the funding negotiations and subsequent improvement work on the pathways, was the central figure in all of the negotiations with Taylor Wimpey that resulted in our acquisition of the Saxon Heath section of the woodland, bargained with CWaC over the sale of the original woodland to the Trust, and was the driving force behind the conversion of the Trust into a Company Limited by Guarantee.

Stuart's leadership, business acumen, and profound good sense were essential to the functioning of the Trust. However, his greatest satisfaction came from being part of the team of volunteers working in the woodland, where the friendships, camaraderie, and especially the craic brought him immense joy. He was incredibly proud of what the Trust achieved, particularly the Green Flag award – a mark of excellence for public open spaces – which the woodland received twelve times in a row.

As a mark of respect for his contribution, the Trustees decided to make Stuart the first Honorary Trustee of Tarvin Woodland. The extent and success of Tarvin Woodland, and the fact that it belongs entirely to the local community, is due in no small part to the efforts of Stuart Exell. Thank you, Stuart. The entire village owes you a huge debt of gratitude.